Frog EyesPaul's Tomb: A Triumph

Frankly, it's quite frustrating to see Sunset Rubdown and Destroyer continue to receive such accolades for their manic-panicked, literate, careening song structures while Carey Mercer eternally remains in the shadows of indie pop culture. Paul's Tomb: A Triumph, Mercer's fifth LP with Frog Eyes, kicks off with just enough mad-man ramblings and burnt black rhythms on "A Flower in a Glove" to pick up where 2007's stellar Tears of the Valedictorian left off. But songs like "The Sensitive Girls" and "Odetta's War" flood speakers with nerve rattling melodies-in-reverse, showing Mercer trying to out-Pere Ubu David Thomas. "Styled by Dr. Roberts" and humungous album closer "Paul's Tomb" showcase Mercer and Ryan Beattie's (who has replaced Spencer Krug on recent recordings) trade-off guitar formations, which splinter rather than cut. Just because it's a bit lazy to call Paul's Tomb: A Triumph a triumph doesn't make it any less true.
(Dead Oceans)